Guide: Install Leopard on unsupported Macs

[suneohair]

i would like to thank you for all of the work you put into this so that we can get Leopard on out slower partially unsupported Mac's. i cant think you enough for your help on making this thread and sharing the how to with us

Hey no problem, I am glad it helped you. There is no reason we shouldn't be able to install it on our perfectly good Macs. I apologize to those who have had trouble. I should have the GM any day now (ADC is being a little slow), that is when I will hammer out any lingering issues and I will be sure to make the guide more clear and concise, i.e. removing the random notes

 

[leejandsue]

good job

Didn't mean to suggest this is a waste of time. It definitely is not, and it is fun. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. Keep up the good work.

 

[fhturner]

Anybody trying this with Leopard Server?

Hi Everyone--

Thanks for the great info and commentary about getting around this artificial hurdle that Apple has imposed w/ Leopard. I have 2 questions, well, 1 question and 1 issue:

1. Is anybody doing this w/ 10.5 Server? That's what I'm trying to make work, but so far cannot get a usable/bootable DVD. I'm trying to make a single-layer DVD, which brings me to #2...

2. I'm following the steps in Post #150 to convert from a DL DVD image to a SL DVD. When I restore from the "dump" image to the "burn" image, I'm getting an error from Disk Utility:

An error (22) occurred while copying. (Invalid argument)

Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks for any thoughts you have!
Fred

 

[fhturner]

Well, a little progress. Despite the #22 error, this time I was able to get a mountable/semi-bootable DVD. It starts to boot up into Mac OS X Server, but kernel panics, with the first line on screen saying something to the effect of Unable to find driver for this platform, then it lists the "internal" system model like "PowerMac7,1" or "PowerBook4,3", etc.

Any ideas?

[BTW, I tried this on a G4/1000DP w/ a dual 800MHz chip installed (don't ask!), a 1.5GHz PowerBook G4, and a Dual 2.3GHz G5...just to see if the disc would boot. I realize 2 of these 3 are supported-- just wanted to try booting w/ the disc.]

 

[suneohair]

Oddly enough I am having the same issue. I tried kexts from an earlier build as recommended earlier in the thread. Those didn't work. I am pulling the ones from tiger right now.

Basically it says no driver for Powermac 3,3. I am sure others had this problem. Some tips on how you got it working would be great. Thanks.

 

[SeVeN]

cant rename the OSIntall or even drop in the NewOSInstall

 

[spinne1]

cant rename the OSIntall or even drop in the NewOSInstall

You rename the file that you download back to OSInstall.mkpg while it is still just a file sitting on your hard drive some where, not after you put it in the sparseimage file.

After you do all the steps and have a burn.sparseimage file sitting on your desktop, you open the burn.sparseimage file, open the burn disc image, scroll to "System," then "Installation," then "Packages." Once in there, you select OSInstall.mkpg and hit "Command-Delete" to move it to the trash. Now, drag the downloaded OSInstall.mkpg to the same place where the old one was in the Packages folder. Now, empty the trash. Now burn the disc image "burn" in Disk Utility to a DVD.

Once successful, there is a long period of seeming inactivity upon booting. Be patient, it will get through it (unless you have Kernal Panics). It takes about 20-40 minutes to get through the gray screens before you get to the blue screen.

 

[fhturner]

Oddly enough I am having the same issue. ...Basically it says no driver for Powermac 3,3. I am sure others had this problem. Some tips on how you got it working would be great. Thanks.

Not sure if you were responding to me, but I haven't been able to get it working yet. It starts to boot (from the install DVD), but then KPs (which I believe is what you're seeing also).

 

[suneohair]

Not sure if you were responding to me, but I haven't been able to get it working yet. It starts to boot (from the install DVD), but then KPs (which I believe is what you're seeing also).

Yeah that is what I am getting. I am going to work at it and see what I can come up with.

 

[sartor]

iMac G4 700mhz - my experience installing 10.5

HEY!

My experience was:
I own an imac G4 700 mhz. 768mg ram now installed, and DVD burner upgrade.

I used the modified install DVD method.

I used the archive and install method on my main HD, and it worked OK..
Dial up internet, safari, itunes, iphoto, Appleworks, Diablo II all worked.. Only thing, was the wireless card would not go on. I installed 10.5 onto my firewire external HD using the first install option (intall onto the old system), and that worked fine, and would let me boot from it. More interestingly, it recognized the wireless card!

So I tried to fix the wireless card problem on the internal HD, by rebooting with the shift key down (no good), then tried removing the airport2.kext file in library/extensions.. that didn't work either.. SO..... in desperation, I booted from the external drive, and tried cloning the external drive onto the internal drive, using Superduper.. that didn't work.. system wouldn't boot.. I later learned that Superduper isn't supported by Leopard.. (if I had looked, it was listed at macintouch .com as one of the unsupported apps in leopard).. I tried the Erase then install, and that didn't work - saying that the Migration Assistant couldn't be verified!

SO, I had a trashed internal HD.. I then installed 10.4 onto it, and then used the first install method to put leopard onto the hard drive. it recognized the wireless card then! YAY! Then I used Migration assistant to move the data from the external HD to the main HD.. All worked, but now the wireless card no longer is recognized.. :-( What a pain!

Finally, I just took the hard drive out of the external case, and put it into the mac replacing the internal drive. ALL is fine now. Later, when Superduper gets upgraded, I'll back up my now main hard drive, back onto the external hard drive...

PHEW! MANY many hours wasted!!
Bottom line -> first install method worked best for me. I do understand why Apple has to eliminate a few mac models with each major OS update. They simply can't keep continuing to support all of the older mac models, as it takes too much manpower etc.. I wish they would let us decide if the OS is too slow for us to use though...

I know I need a new Mac.. I just wish the Macbook update recently was more significant.. (base model coming with dvd burner, and led screen etc)
If Apple's upcoming OS updates won't work on this mac, I may revert to 10.4, and just wait for a more significant Macbook upgrade to buy new.

 

[whenders0n]

Front Row Requirements?

Can anyone confirm whether Front Row in Leopard will work on a machine with a Quartz Extreme-only (ie no core image) graphics card (as it would with Tiger) or if it needs core image now? Looking to upgrade my gigabit ethernet's rage 128 pro now that it's running leopard....

 

[madmax_2069]

Can anyone confirm whether Front Row in Leopard will work on a machine with a Quartz Extreme-only (ie no core image) graphics card (as it would with Tiger) or if it needs core image now? Looking to upgrade my gigabit ethernet's rage 128 pro now that it's running leopard....

Front Row works great on my DA 533 with a Geforce2 MX (which is QE only). everything works for me (haven't tried time machine cause i dont have a backup drive) there is 2 DVD movies i own that wont play in the DVD player in Leopard but play fine in Front Row, and in VLC.

there is also a few other quirks in Leopard (most of them are bugs) but other then that i haven't had a single crash in anything.

so far my run time is 9 day's and so many hours, and still is running great (altho from the bugs aside).

a shortcut to open Front Row is by the key combo command+ESC and it will open, its going to be slow on that rage card you have

 

[fhturner]

Yeah that is what I am getting. I am going to work at it and see what I can come up with.

Hmmm. Either this technique doesn't work/works differently for Mac OS X Server, or it isn't as cut-and-dried as the initial instructions (at least for me). After buying some very expensive DL DVD+Rs (15 for $35), I now have 5 coasters, 1 semi-usable-although-non-hacked DVD, and 9 remaining blanks.

I'm able to use CCC3 to make a sparseimage that I can then burn w/o modification and get a bootable, installable DVD. However, this has the same limitations as the Apple DVD. And this image is read-only, so I can't replace the OSInstall.mpkg, of course...

Any other methods I wind up w/ a disc that won't boot the system or won't even mount at all. I'll ask again: has anyone else seen the #22 error when using the "dump->burn" method on post #150? And has anyone tried this w/ Mac OS X Server?

Thanks,
FT

 

[suneohair]

Hmmm. Either this technique doesn't work/works differently for Mac OS X Server, or it isn't as cut-and-dried as the initial instructions (at least for me). After buying some very expensive DL DVD+Rs (15 for $35), I now have 5 coasters, 1 semi-usable-although-non-hacked DVD, and 9 remaining blanks.

I'm able to use CCC3 to make a sparseimage that I can then burn w/o modification and get a bootable, installable DVD. However, this has the same limitations as the Apple DVD. And this image is read-only, so I can't replace the OSInstall.mpkg, of course...

Any other methods I wind up w/ a disc that won't boot the system or won't even mount at all. I'll ask again: has anyone else seen the #22 error when using the "dump->burn" method on post #150? And has anyone tried this w/ Mac OS X Server?

Thanks,
FT

Well it was that cut and dry, but remember I was clear to say that I was not using the GM and was using an early Leopard build.

Apple has clearly taken out the drivers for some of the models it seems. However some have reported getting it to run on my same model. If those people can let us know if they are using the GM. I have a Gigabit 500 DP G4.

The limitation in some cases is no longer the Distribution file, but instead it is the kernel extensions. I am trying to find a way to get these machines supported in terms of Drivers again, simply adding them to the Extensions folder did not do it for me as someone else mentioned before.

I kept getting errors when trying to work with images in Disk Utility, that is what I went with CCC. To make the image a SL-DVD, I do use Disk Utility though.

For now, I would stop trying to make DVDs. I am unclear as to how to fix the problem. I will keep you updated. For now, take a look at the new thread, that should solve your problems

 

[madmax_2069]

Well it was that cut and dry, but remember I was clear to say that I was not using the GM and was using an early Leopard build.

Apple has clearly taken out the drivers for some of the models it seems. However some have reported getting it to run on my same model. If those people can let us know if they are using the GM. I have a Gigabit 500 DP G4.

The limitation in some cases is no longer the Distribution file, but instead it is the kernel extensions. I am trying to find a way to get these machines supported in terms of Drivers again, simply adding them to the Extensions folder did not do it for me as someone else mentioned before.

I kept getting errors when trying to work with images in Disk Utility, that is what I went with CCC. To make the image a SL-DVD, I do use Disk Utility though.

For now, I would stop trying to make DVDs. I am unclear as to how to fix the problem. I will keep you updated. For now, take a look at the new thread, that should solve your problems

Yes i am using the GM (non server) 9A581 and i followed your method to a T (i used freeDMG) to get Laopard installed on my DA 533. altho i got a little bit lost (making the sparseimage, and finding out if i got xar installed properly, cause at first it didn't work) but eventually got thru it. the day i got my GM is the day i modded it (stayed up all night ) but only used 1 DVD + DL (out of 3) and got it right the first time.

altho i just did a test boot at first i didn't install it for a few days later. but all went without a hitch (both times i installed it ). the first install i did i pulled the HDD from my Yikes and put it in my DA to test with and everything was good. then i put it back into my yikes to test to see if it would boot Leopard, it said it didn't have the drivers for this platform and instantly KP.

i removed the 120GB HDD from my AIO and put it into my DA and now i have 2 HDD's the first one is the stock 40GB (Leopard is installed to), and my 120GB (whitch is in 3 partitions , 1st partition Tiger and 2nd partition OS 9.2.2 is installed to, and the 3rd partition is for storage and installed App's)

 

[fhturner]

Apple has clearly taken out the drivers for some of the models it seems. However some have reported getting it to run on my same model. If those people can let us know if they are using the GM. I have a Gigabit 500 DP G4.

I'm not sure it is actually a driver thing. Two of my targets for MOSXS (client systems) are also GigE G4/500DPs. They will boot up w/ the Apple DVD just fine...they just won't install from it. The discs I'm burning fail to boot up the machine. So, I'm pretty sure I'm doing something along the way to cause the failure. I just wish I knew what!

I know it's a lot of steps to list, but it would be nice to know step-by-step, option-by-option, what those who are successful in just making a bootable, hacked install DVD are doing. I think I'm close...just not hitting it just right...

 

[madmax_2069]

I'm not sure it is actually a driver thing. Two of my targets for MOSXS (client systems) are also GigE G4/500DPs. They will boot up w/ the Apple DVD just fine...they just won't install from it. The discs I'm burning fail to boot up the machine. So, I'm pretty sure I'm doing something along the way to cause the failure. I just wish I knew what!

I know it's a lot of steps to list, but it would be nice to know step-by-step, option-by-option, what those who are successful in just making a bootable, hacked install DVD are doing. I think I'm close...just not hitting it just right...

here is what i did, after i got xar installed i downloaded freeDMG ( at first i didnt know how to use it to make a sparseimage). i found out that by mounting the image (make sure the .dmg you made is a read only image before you mount it, and not read and write cause if you mount it with read and write permissions it makes it to where you cant boot from that image or anything from it, at least that is what i am told) and using the mounted image and convert to a sparseimage using freeDMG.

once the sparseimage was made i did the command to show all files. and the rest of what i did is in the guide.

 

[suneohair]

I'm not sure it is actually a driver thing. Two of my targets for MOSXS (client systems) are also GigE G4/500DPs. They will boot up w/ the Apple DVD just fine...they just won't install from it. The discs I'm burning fail to boot up the machine. So, I'm pretty sure I'm doing something along the way to cause the failure. I just wish I knew what!

I know it's a lot of steps to list, but it would be nice to know step-by-step, option-by-option, what those who are successful in just making a bootable, hacked install DVD are doing. I think I'm close...just not hitting it just right...

I tried booting to the Apple DVD as well and it still KPs on me. What I find really odd is that the older build DVD also KPs. Seems that maybe there is something else going on.

I though about trying to get the latest firmware but I need classic for that.

 

[madmax_2069]

I tried booting to the Apple DVD as well and it still KPs on me. What I find really odd is that the older build DVD also KPs. Seems that maybe there is something else going on.

I though about trying to get the latest firmware but I need classic for that.

that could be the issue, i would try to get Mac OS 9.x installed and update the firmware to see if that is the issue. i thought i seen something about firmware in the OSinstall.mpkg

cause the latest firmware out for the sawtooth and above is 4.2.8f1 and it supposedly fixed OS X booting issues. i can be wrong but i do think this could be the issue if you are running a older firmware

 

[bigpoppa]

Just curious...

If we have to go through this (edit the installer in order to recognize our machines) each time when Apple releases an update?

 

[SeVeN]

You rename the file that you download back to OSInstall.mkpg while it is still just a file sitting on your hard drive some where, not after you put it in the sparseimage file.

After you do all the steps and have a burn.sparseimage file sitting on your desktop, you open the burn.sparseimage file, open the burn disc image, scroll to "System," then "Installation," then "Packages." Once in there, you select OSInstall.mkpg and hit "Command-Delete" to move it to the trash. Now, drag the downloaded OSInstall.mkpg to the same place where the old one was in the Packages folder. Now, empty the trash. Now burn the disc image "burn" in Disk Utility to a DVD.

Once successful, there is a long period of seeming inactivity upon booting. Be patient, it will get through it (unless you have Kernal Panics). It takes about 20-40 minutes to get through the gray screens before you get to the blue screen.

sorry but that didnt help me at all. i made an image of my disc, used terminal to geto the osinstall.pkg, hacked the code. now where im stuck is how to get the newosinstall into the image to burn.

 

[suneohair]

SeVen it sounds like a permissions problem. With the image unmounted, highlight the spareimage and type + I. That will bring up the info for the image.

Now, expand the Ownership and Permissions section. There you will see different sections. The first one deals with the owner. It probably isn't you right now, so click the lock to the left of the owner box, you should have to authenticate.

Next, select your username and select read & write for the access. Close the box. You should now be able to edit the image. If that doesn't there may be a problem with the way the image was made. I will help you with making a new if that is the case. You can use the new .mpkg of course, so at least that will be done.

I am attaching a picture for reference.

 

[Qianlong]

has anyone tried this method from post #187?


sudo hdiutil convert osxleopard.dmg -format UDRW -o modosxleopard.dmg

this gets you get a very friendly and modifiable duplicate DMG, instead of a sparse, nasty and unmodifiable one, like the one ccc gives you



is it also neccesary to make a sparse image or copy form the original dmg in order to modify the osinstal.mpkg file?

can you for instance change the read/ write permissions on your original osx.dmg, change the osinstall file with a download copy and rechange permissions to it's original state and burn that file?

or would changing the read and write permissons on your org file make it unbootable?

any help is welcome for making this work on my G4 800 QS

 

[suneohair]

The sparseimage that comes out of CCC is hardly nasty and unmodifiable, in fact that is downright ridiculous. From the moment I got my copy of the GM till I had a bootable DVD was 30 minutes. Most of that time was spend waiting for the DVD to burn. That was using CCC. If the images that were produced were indeed like that poster suggested, that is definitely user error. CCC is a tool that is used by lots of Mac Systems Admins and is developed by a great knowledgeable Apple Engineer, Mike Bombich. I digress though.

All you need to do is:

Make an image from the original Leopard DVD using CCC (or whatever you want really)

There are cases where the image doesn't have the right permissions. Simply do what I mentioned in the post above.

Modify the installer.

Burn the image.

 

[SeVeN]

i cant dop the newosinstall into the image. (or mounted image, whatever) it says it has no space